Not so Dauntless
by GokaiYellow
Summary: After Visiting Day, Al recollects his beginnings as a Dauntless initiate and what happened in the testing room.
1. Chapter 1

The chalkboard was taken down yesterday so the rankings could be determined. I stare at the space where it once hung, my hands anxiously kneading one over the other. I didn't even need to see the board – it was obvious that I was the worst transfer here, save for that girl from Erudite, Myra, who always sat with Edward. I hung my head low, trying to drown out the sound of the other initiates catching up with their families and friends who came for them on Visiting Day.

"There you are!" Tris says as she came into the dormitory. "Your parents were looking for you. Did they find you?"

They actually came? Then again, they probably saw it as an excuse to see the Dauntless headquarters for themselves. I shook my head no as Tris took a seat beside me.

"You didn't want to see them?" she asked.

I ran a hand through my hair as I stared off at some random point on the wall. "Didn't want them to ask how I was doing," I replied. "I'd have to tell them, and they would know if I was lying."

"Well…what's wrong with how you're doing?" she asks.

I snorted in disgust before turning to face her. "I've lost every fight since the one with Will. I'm not doing well."

Tris stared indignantly at me and protested, "By choice, though. Couldn't you tell them that, too?"

I shook my head – Tris didn't and she wouldn't know of course. If there was any other faction that my parents talked about, it was Dauntless. Ever since I was a little kid, they talked endlessly about the behaviors of the Dauntless – how brave they were, how fearless they seemed. Dad seemed a bit wistful when he was describing the antics of some Dauntless born initiates as a kid – how they could jump on a train without thinking twice or the ones who climbed the statue in front of the Upper Level building every single day. Mom would dreamily talk about how she used to admire the bold, edgy look of the Dauntless girls that she would see in class with their numerous tattoos, piercings, and tight, black clothing. Her mom forced her to wear black and white dresses with clean lines and crisp, pressed collars – a stark contrast from the standard uniform of boots, pants with multiple pockets, and leather.

"Dad always wanted me to come here. I mean, they said they wanted me to stay in Candor, but that's only because that's what they're supposed to say. They've always admired the Dauntless, both of them. They wouldn't understand if I tried to explain it to them," I said as I looked down at my hands.

"Oh," Tris says. She taps her fingers on her knee and looks over at me, her blue eyes blazing with curiosity. "Is that why you chose Dauntless? Because of your parents?"

"No," I reply as I shook my head, "I guess it was because…I think it's important to protect people. To stand up for people. Like you did for me." I met Tris' eyes and smiled at her. She was a small thing with blonde hair and gray blue eyes that seemed so full of life and energy. Everyone else had taken her for granted when she transferred from Abnegation but she had proved that she could hold her own against the others.

"That's what courage is. Not…hurting people for no reason," I concluded.

"Maybe it will be better once initiation is over," Tris offered.

I sighed deeply. "Too bad I might come in last," I replied. "I guess we'll see tonight."

We sat there in silence for a few moments. I looked over at Tris who was busy looking over the dormitory, lost in thought. She certainly didn't seem too much like the Abnegation I've seen in school – they were always quiet with their heads hung low and they were polite, even when everyone else was rude to them. We all saw traces of her Abnegation upbringing – her reactions to the food, Edward kissing Myra, and her reluctance to give up traces of her former faction identity. But then again, even I had to question just how much she was like her old faction, especially after standing up for me during the training session with the knives.

Tris. Brave, loyal Tris. She was slightly awkward when she first came into Dauntless, blushing whenever she showed behaviors of her Abnegation and enduring Will's teasing about her modesty. But some how, I was drawn to her. Maybe it was her confidence, maybe it was her awkwardness, but I always felt better about myself when I was around her.

"I feel braver when I'm around you, you know," I said. "Like I could actually fit in here, the same way you do." Out of impulse, I slid my arm across her small shoulders and she tensed up immediately. I blew it.

Tris sat up straighter, her cheeks flaming with color. I let my arm fall away and I looked away. My face burned as I tried to mend the situation. "Tris, I…"

"Um…sorry," I continue. "I wasn't trying to…um. Sorry."

Tris stands up right away and dusts off her jeans. "Sorry about what?" she asks, trying to sound casual. She looks over at me and clears her throat. "I should go."

I can't even look her in the eye after that. I nod my head as I keep my eyes trained on the floor.

"You going to be okay?" she asks. "I mean…because of your parents. Not because…"

"Oh. Yeah," I replied as I nodded quickly. "I'll see you later, Tris."

I looked down at my hands, which are clasped together as I hear her feet shuffle out of the room. The door closes behind her and I heaved a deep sigh as I lie back on my bed and look up at the ceiling.

The rankings, Tris, it was becoming obvious that I wasn't cut out for Dauntless. Maybe my test results were right – I wasn't anything like the faction that I transferred into.


	2. Chapter 2

"Albert! Albert you need to get up!" my mom calls through the door as she knocks on it repeatedly. "I don't want you to be late – it's a very important day."

I blinked the sleepiness out of my eyes and stretched my arms up. "I'm up," I called out through the door.

"I'll have breakfast on the table in 10 minutes sharp," she said. "Please be ready by then – your father wants to drop you off before he goes into work."

"Okay." The white quilt with neat, even stitches of black thread are thrown back and I head to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

It's Testing Day – I have to take an aptitude test to determine which faction I will join for the rest of my life. I step under the warm water of the shower and I reach for the bar of soap that Mom put out this morning. My hand wraps around the bar and it slips from my hand, hits the back wall of the shower, and drops onto my foot. I wince as I grope for the bar and try to keep a tight grasp on it as I lather it up.

No one can prepare for the aptitude test in advance. I don't even know how they determine your results but I have a feeling that I'm going to automatically fit into my current faction: Candor. No surprise there – Candor values honesty and justice and my parents act like a model Candor family. I shut the water off, dry off with a black towel, and throw on the stark white button-down shirt, black pants with the crisp, pressed fold down the center of the leg, and black shoes polished to gleaming perfection – just the way my mom wanted me to look.

* * *

"Morning Bud," Dad said as he looked up from reading something. He smiled faintly at me and rumpled my hair in an attempt to lighten the mood. Mom set down the plate of toast, jar of jam, and a bowl of fresh fruit, probably from Amity's farms, on the table. She frowned as she began fixing the back of my hair.

Dad shook his head at her as she tried to slick down the cowlick that was sticking up. "Hon stop that," he said. "Albert looks fine – you're fussing over nothing."

Mom shot him a sharp glare and he fell silent as he buttered a piece of toast and piled a scoopful of berries onto his plate. I bit my lip as Mom moved from my hair to my bushy eyebrows. She took a step back and frowned – probably because they were really out of place in her mind.

"Deanne," Dad states, "he's fine. Just let him eat so we can leave on time. We still have tonight, remember?"

I swallowed hard and I forced myself to smile at my mom as I began spreading jam on my bread. She took a seat across from me and tried to return the smile but I could tell that she was anxious. She wouldn't last more than a few minutes in Dauntless, no matter how much she talks about admiring them.

* * *

"You ready Bud?" Dad asked as he drove past the factionless areas. He coughed heavily and I nodded.

Dad turned to me and gave me a smile. "You're gonna be fine, I know it. And we'd love to have to stay if it all works out."

"Thanks Dad," I said. He has to say that because, well, he's my dad and he's a Candor through and through.

* * *

I ended up falling asleep in Math as usual – I was never into numbers, which probably meant that I wasn't cut out for Erudite. I stifled a yawn as I shuffled into the cafeteria and took a seat with other Candor members at a table. I looked around at the groups of Candor members broken up into smaller groups – three menacing figures were hunched over with suspicious looks in the direction of the testing area. I recognized them as Drew, Peter, and Molly, who were always together causing trouble. Peter seemed to be the leader of the trio and he wasn't a Candor to the core – I usually saw him picking fights with Erudite and Dauntless kids when were younger, then he would quickly throw the blame onto the other person and convince the adults that he was the victim. They bought his act all the time because they assumed that all Candor members tell the truth. Molly and Drew seemed to just do whatever Peter did and didn't seem to have any distinct differences in personality. They probably wouldn't stay in Candor – after all, there are only so many people who can handle being truthful all the time.

"From Candor: Albert Enright and Tambry Yates," a volunteer calls out. I snap out of my trance and I stumble out of my seat when my name is called. Some people snicker at my clumsiness and I can feel my ears burning as I follow the volunteer into the testing area. She places me in a room labeled 3 and I heaved a deep sigh as I walked into the room.

"Welcome Albert," the Abnegation woman says. "My name is Sarah. Please take a seat right over in that chair." She gestures to the silver seat that reminds me of something I'd see in a dentist's office. I clamber onto the seat and slide my back against the cold, hard surface.

Sarah wastes no time placing electrodes to my head and some to her head. I clench my hands into fists, my nails digging into the soft flesh of my palm. Once she finishes wiring both of us up, she hands me a clear vial containing a liquid with a polite smile.

"Please drink all of this," she said.

"What is it for?" I asked. I hoped that my voice wouldn't give away how nervous I was about this whole thing.

Sarah shook her head and gave me a polite smile. "I'm sorry Albert but I'm not allowed to indulge your curiosity as it would be very selfish to do so. You just need to drink it to begin the test."

I nodded to show that I understood. I completely forgot that as an Abnegation member, she was not allowed to indulge in selfish desires or any luxuries whatsoever. That included telling me what I wanted to know about this liquid I was asked to consume at the moment. I closed my eyes as I tipped the vial contents down my throat.

* * *

"Choose," a woman told me as I opened my eyes to see two baskets in front of me. I blinked as I stared at the contents within each one. One basket contained a long knife with a cruel-looking blade and the other contained cheese.

Without hesitating, I reached for the cheese. As soon as I chose, the second basket disappeared and I was left alone in a room that looked like the cafeteria. I spotted something coming towards me with angry eyes and I saw that it was a dog. It began running toward me; slobber dripping from its jaws. My hand shook as I quickly put the cheese down a few feet away from me and hoped for the best. The dog ignored me and tore at the cheese greedily, which made me breathe a sigh of relief.

Then the room changed and I was in a large library with books reaching from the ceiling to the floor. I felt someone tug on my arm and I turned around to see that it was a severe-looking woman with her white hair piled on top of her head and several teeth missing from her mouth. She held up a stained book with faded lettering and shouted at me, "Have you read this book boy?"

I winced as I backed away from her, trying to put some distance in between us. I had a feeling that I had seen that book somewhere but I had a sinking feeling that it would be terrible to tell her that I had. But then again…

"Yes I have," I blurted out as I clenched my fists tightly. I waited for her to react and the scene changed once more to a beautiful park on a warm, sunny day. I turned my head to the left at the sound of two angry voices that belonged to two men pushing and shoving each other around. The rest of the people seemed to be avoiding them or showed concern that they were fighting so openly in a peaceful setting.

My palms felt sweaty as I uncurled my fists and I wiped them off on my pants. I strode up to the two and grabbed one's shoulder in an attempt to pull them away. The other pushed me back and leered at me, "Stay out of this boy. This doesn't concern you."

I stepped in front the man who pushed me and shook my head no. My heart pounded loudly in my chest for I knew that I shouldn't get involved but part of me felt compelled to act. "It does concern me, actually." I watched as his face contorted from frustration to pure rage and he drew his fist back. I closed my eyes and waited for the punch to connect, only it never did.

"Welcome back Albert," Sarah greets me as she removes the wires from my head. She glanced over at the machine and smiled brightly at me. "It looks like you are best suited for Amity."

Amity? That was a far cry from my current faction, as Amity prefers peace and harmony compared to the Candor. Amity does not believe in swift punishment and justice – instead they believe in consulting with the people and working together to reach a group decision. They dislike violence and prefer to remain neutral in tense situations.

I ran a hand through my hair and Sarah helped me out of the chair. "Please do not share any of your answers or result with anyone. Have a nice day Albert."

I walked out of the testing room in a daze and I took a seat outside of the Upper Level building. My dad said that he would pick me up after school and that I was to wait on the steps for him to arrive. I kicked a pebble on the steps and let out a breath that I had been holding in.

_It could have been worse_, I thought. _I could have had no clear answer and probably would have been banished to the factionless before I even had a chance. But Amity…_

Even if I could tell my parents, I wouldn't share my result for it was disappointing. They found the Amity members to be a nuisance and quite ridiculous with their insistence to maintain peace in everything they did. Dad talked about how pointless their system seemed, for any decisions that need to be made have to be agreed upon by a group majority vote. There is no set leader of the faction – instead all of the faction has an equal say. It takes a long time to come to a decision, something that my mom has no patience for.

"Do they do anything productive?" Mom once asked at dinner a few weeks ago. "They always are playing some instrument or silly games that make no sense. Really, I mean there's no sense of order and organization there!"

"Deanne that's their nature," my dad replied. "They are far too lax with their justice system and nothing ever seems to get done. If anything, their only skill is growing the crops for our food."

The sound of a car horn snaps me back to reality and I look up to see my dad waving from the driver's seat. I faked a smile as I dusted off my pants and climbed down the steps to meet him.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a silent drive home, which was a first. Usually Dad was rattling off about how his day was, whom he had to deal with, or commenting on Jeff Kang's leadership of Candor. He kept his eyes focused on the road ahead of him and I stared around at the surroundings as we passed the factionless slums. One of them ambled past our car and leered at me with a toothy smile.

I avoided locking eyes with the figure as we zipped past the slums and neared the Candor faction area. The factionless were the rejects in society – either they failed their aptitude test or flunked out of the initiation of their chosen faction. With the exception of Abnegation and maybe Amity, the other factions saw them as a nuisance and an embarrassment to our society.

Dad parked in the garage and slapped me on the leg. "Go on in Bud – I'm sure your mom's waiting for us in there," he said with a light smile.

I nodded and returned the smile as I lowered my head and stepped out of the car, slamming the door shut behind me. I bit my lip and rubbed my stinging thigh, which was really feeling the pain of that slap that Dad issued. I headed in through the front door of our house, white with a black roof, and removed my shoes at the door, per Mom's rule.

Mom stuck her head out from the kitchen and smiled as she locked eyes with me. "Welcome home Albert," she said. "Dinner's just about ready – why don't you hang up your clothes and change? I made your favorite – thought it would the perfect meal, you know?"

"Thanks Mom, it smells good," I said before I headed upstairs. I shut the door to my room behind me with a sigh. At least my voice didn't shake or give me away – she could always tell when I was hiding the truth. Sometimes I wished that she would let it go whenever I wasn't okay but that's against the nature of being Candor – we are considered the faction who is the most trustworthy and honest.

My button down and pants were hung up on hangers neatly without any wrinkles. I pushed my head through the neck hole of a plain black t-shirt and I zipped my black jeans up. Before I headed downstairs, I caught a look at myself in the mirror. I hadn't realized that I had grabbed two black items to put on for dinner – normally I wear something white and something black together to represent which faction I'm from. But right now, I looked more like one of the kids from Dauntless, who wore black on a regular basis. Except their clothes were tight and body conscious versus the straight, looser fitting clothes I was wearing.

"Dinner is ready!" Mom called up.

_Nope, no time to change_, I thought as I headed downstairs and walked into the kitchen.

Mom was putting the serving tray with the steaming pot roast in the center of the dinner table. She turned and grabbed the bowls of salad, fingerling potatoes, and bread to put on the table. Dad was pouring himself a brandy for dinner, which earned him a look of disapproval from Mom. However, Dad ignored it and carried it over to the table.

"Take a seat Albert," Mom said. "You can go ahead and serve yourself first." She glanced up from washing her hands and studied me. "Looks like someone was channeling the Dauntless for dinner time," she said as she gestured to my outfit.

Dad replaced the cap on the brandy bottle and glanced at me before coughing.

I shrugged my shoulders as I headed over to the table. "Guess it was a subconscious decision tonight," I said as pulled my chair out. I sat down in between them and Mom handed me the carving knife. I tried to avoid wincing as I took it from her and began cutting the roast in the middle. The carving knife was starting to remind me of the long knife in the basket that I could have chosen in the aptitude test. I cut away a few slices for myself before passing the carving knife to my dad. I added a fistful of potatoes and a small scoop of salad to my plate. Once Mom finished taking her roast from the tray, she set the knife down and Dad began to hand her the bowl of the potatoes.

"Oh not tonight hon," Mom said to him as she held her hand up. She instead picked up the salad bowl and spooned out a generous serving for herself. She was nervous and anxious tonight; otherwise she would have never turned down the potatoes in the first place.

Dad nodded to show he understood and put the potatoes down. He looked over at me and rumpled my hair. "So Bud, how was today? How did the test go?"

I began cutting my roast into small squares and I stabbed two of them with my fork. "Okay I guess," I said. "I really didn't know what to expect going in but it was interesting to say the least." I started putting food in my mouth to avoid talking about the subject any further, hoping that I wasn't giving myself away.

Dad leaned back in his chair and sighed as he stared off into the distance with a thoughtful look on his face. "I remember my aptitude test pretty well," he said. "The guy who tested me was like a fact-spieling robot – couldn't get him to shut up about the serum's properties that he was going to inject me with. I think someone had to tell him to just start the test already. Typical Erudite though."

Mom's ears turned pink as she remembered her testing day. "…wanted to kill Mother for putting ribbons in my hair that day," she said. "When I got to the testing room, turns out I had a young Dauntless testing me. He had a really nice-looking back and I think his bicep had a tattoo of a, oh gosh, some fictitious woman creature…wait! A siren! Yes that was it." She smiled at the memory of the guy and continued to ramble on about the dark eyes and short hair he had as I shoveled potatoes into my mouth.

"Dinner's great Mum," I said through a mouthful of potatoes.

Mom gave me a disapproving look and I shot her a big smile as I cut more roast. She hated it when I talked with my mouth full, yet she had a hard time saying anything bad about it if a compliment was tied into it.

"Roast is wonderful tonight hon," Dad added as he raised his glass of brandy. "Another delicious success!"

Mom's face softened and she beamed at the compliments. She placed her napkin on the table and rose to clear her plate. Dad handed her his plate and I continued to eat.

"Hope you'll save room for dessert," Mom said to me as she began washing the dishes. "Made ice cream with fresh berries from the Amity farms."

I put down my fork and smiled at the mention of ice cream. Candor is known for their ice cream and Mom had gotten her recipe down to a science – pretty much any flavor she made was good.

Mom cleared my plate and she pried the brandy glass from Dad's hand before placing both in the sink. Dad rolled his eyes before standing up to retrieve the evening newspaper from the front hall table. Mom placed a small dish of purple-pink ice cream in front of me and placed the small spoon on my napkin. I thanked her as I picked up the spoon and started digging in.

"Can't stand that woman," Dad groused as he opened the paper to see the face of Johanna Reyes, the representative of Amity, on the front page.

I wiped my mouth with my napkin and skimmed the beginning of the article, which was talking about Amity's stance on the recent writings published by the Erudite. Amity values peace and it wouldn't surprise me if they took a neutral stance on the situation between Abnegation and Erudite.

"Are we talking about Johanna?" Mom asked as she dried her hands. She put away the remaining ice cream and joined Dad, reading the article over his shoulder. She had to stand slightly on tiptoe to read, since my dad is quite tall, even when sitting.

"Unfortunately," Dad muttered as he flipped to the next page. "You would not believe what it is like dealing with her. Dean met with her a few days ago to discuss the current state of produce production in Amity and lo and behold – that woman was smiling and talking in a daze!"

Mom tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and sighed. "She was in my science class before the Choosing Ceremony," she recalled. "Back then, she wore blue and those silly glasses and had her hand up in the air all the time. I think her face was normal before the incident but it was such a long time ago."

"Probably danced into a machine and damaged her face," Dad said as he folded the paper and set it on the table.

I spooned the last bit of ice cream into my mouth and set my spoon down. I pushed my chair back and excused myself to my room.

"Are you sure you don't want more?" Mom asked.

"Deanne, let him be," Dad said. "Besides, we've got a big day tomorrow, don't we Bud?"

I nodded and I said good night before heading upstairs at a regular pace – running would have seemed too suspicious.

* * *

_Can't go to Amity_, I thought as I brushed my teeth. After hearing Dad's tirade, it was obvious that I'd be dead to him if a drop of my blood ended up in the bowl of dirt for Amity.

I shuffled into my room and shut the door behind me. I threw back the covers on my bed and crawled in, turning off the lamp beside me. Abnegation was out too – I was too curious to ever join a faction that refused to divulge answers to satisfy my curiosity. The fact that the Erudite were out to undermine their value of selflessness was enough to make me say no to both factions – Abnegation for being under fire and Erudite for instigating.

I could stay where I was. Candor was familiar and it was pretty easy for me to tell the truth. Besides, Peter and his cronies would probably ditch honesty for something else, which would make initiation easier to deal with. Then I remembered the truth serum. It is a Candor creation that is used to obtain the truth from anyone, from a new initiate to an arrested criminal. It's really easy to spill your secrets to everyone while under it – everything and anything can come out. I'd never been under its influence before but I had seen it used on a teacher who was an Amity turned Erudite when I was younger. The secrets ranged from fear of her new faction to shame for pulling out all the stops to being the top initiate of her class.

And then there was Dauntless, the brave, train-jumping adrenaline junkies whom my parents admired for most of their lives. Granted I wasn't born with a strong desire to climb something high or an eagerness to learn how to hold a gun but I was starting to question whether it was even right for me to stay in Candor.

I looked up at the ceiling and squinted as I stared at the cracks above. Choosing the cheese was probably Amity or Abnegation, telling the angry woman about the book was textbook Candor, but the park was different. I could have stayed out of the argument but instead, I stepped in to try to break it up. Could that have been considered Dauntless? Maybe, save for my reaction to the one guy who was about to punch me in the face. And I had confidently told the woman about the book without flinching, so maybe…

It was only two plausible answers that I was going on, but it seemed possible to join Dauntless. I may have told the truth to the woman but I did it without backing down and I stood up for the other people in park, even though I was likely to lose the argument. Most of the Dauntless I've seen guard the fences and act as protective forces.

I stifled a yawn and I rolled over on my side. It was settled – I knew what I was going to choose.


	4. Chapter 4

I didn't wait for anyone to wake me up – I felt wired as I headed to the shower with fresh clothes in hand. Mom was polishing my shoes when I emerged from the bathroom and headed down for breakfast. She handed me each shoe one by one and I tied the laces tightly.

"How did you sleep?" Mom asked. She rose from her chair and began cracking eggs over a fry pan to create scrambled eggs for breakfast.

I shrugged my shoulders and took a seat in my chair for the last time. I looked around at my surroundings – the white walls, black carpets, and wooden furniture with straight lines and rigid structure. In a matter of hours, this place would become nothing more than a distant memory.

Dad came down the stairs, fixing his tie to lie flat under his collar. He patted me on the shoulder and took his regular seat at the table. Mom came over with three plates of eggs, bacon, and fruit and set one each in front of us.

"Should we take the bus today?" Mom asked as she stabbed a strawberry onto her fork.

Dad swallowed a mouthful of eggs and thought about it. "Well we could do that but I know the buses are going to be packed with the Abnegation today…up to you Deanne."

The ride over was a blur – Mom agreed to taking the bus and she took a seat next to Dad while I decided to stand. Once we arrived at The Hub, we headed over to the elevators and waited for the next car to come down. Before I knew it, I was arranging myself next the other sixteen year olds in alphabetical order, taking a seat next to an Erudite girl and a Dauntless boy who cracked his knuckles loudly as he leaned back in his seat. The sound of his knuckles made the girl next to me glance over with a disapproving look. I leaned forward, resting my knuckles under my chin as Marcus Eaton of Abnegation took the stage to read the manifesto of how the five factions were formed.

* * *

"Hurry it up Stiff," the Dauntless boy groused under his breath as he tapped his foot.

The Erudite girl rolled her eyes and yawned in a bored manner. She crossed her arms over her chest and sat up straighter in her seat. What were the odds that these two would probably stay where they were?

Marcus began calling names in reverse alphabetical order. Everyone continued to remain with their same faction until a boy from Dauntless changed to Candor. The Dauntless began complaining amongst them and the Candor nodded in approval at the boy's choice. I tuned out the rest of the initiates until the sound of the usually quiet Abnegation filled the room. I jerked my head up to see that two initiates from Abnegation had changed factions completely – one had joined Erudite and the other had joined Dauntless. Even Marcus looked surprised about these two but he quickly regained his composure and called for silence in the room.

Then my name was called. "Albert Enright," Marcus read off.

I stood up and made my way to the stage quickly without looking back. I could feel my mom's eyes burning a hole in the back of my shirt as I walked across the stage and accepted the knife from Marcus. I turned toward the bowls, slit the palm of my hand, and without hesitating, placed my hand over the bowl of burning coals. I had done it.

I avoided meeting my parents' eyes as I walked over to the Dauntless section. Instead, I scanned the group of initiates and saw that most of them were Dauntless-born. There were a couple from Candor, a few from Erudite, and the lone girl from Abnegation. She was a small thing, not more than five feet tall, give or take. I looked past her and bit my lip when I spotted the three people I didn't want to see again: Drew, Peter, and Molly. They were sizing up the Dauntless-borns, most of them who were taller, tougher-looking, and more decorated than they were, with tattoos and piercings. A few more Dauntless-borns joined the group and the Choosing Ceremony was over.

Then I heard one of the Dauntless leaders yell as he made a mad dash for the stairs, which signaled the rest of the group to follow after him. I fell into the middle of the pack as we ran down the stairs, shouting and whooping loudly in the building. My chest felt strained as I neared the bottom of the building – why were there so many flights of stairs? Once we reached the bottom, the group continued to run, one of them gestured in the direction of the train tracks, which probably led to the Dauntless compound.

Then I saw several forms clad in black running to jump onto the train that approached without any hesitation. Soon, it was just the transfers left. I swallowed hard and I bent my knees before pushing off from the ground and grabbing a hold of one of the handles on the train. I used the handle to hoist myself in and I sat down on the hard, bare floor of the train car. I ran a hand through my hair, which was no longer slicked down but was windblown, with a few of my bangs falling into my eyes. I grinned – I managed to jump on a train like the Dauntless.

"He should have run faster," a girl declared near me. "I told Xavier to keep up and what happens? He fails to get on, just like that."

"Guess that means that initiation just began," a guy grumbled.

* * *

The train whizzed by the factionless areas and we passed the tops of some buildings. I sat up on my knees and peered out the other side of the car I was in. In the cars in front me, Dauntless members were jumping out of the car and onto the roof of one building.

I swallowed hard as I rose to my feet, trying not to lose my balance as I inched toward the doorway. Some of the transfers from other factions jumped first and I crouched low before throwing myself out of the train, hoping that I'd land on the rooftop.

_Thud_. I hit the ground on my back and I groaned as I slowly rolled over, using my hands to push me up and onto my feet. Nothing seemed broken but man, I was sore all over. A girl near me had finished dusting herself off and she ran over to the side of the roof and screamed when she looked down. I stumbled over to see what she was screaming about and wished that I hadn't looked.

There was a body lying face down, several stories below. Her body was sprawled out with her arms and legs lying in awkward angles. She not only failed initiation but had risked her life to do so.

I tried to shake off the sight as I walked over to the large group of Dauntless initiates that had gathered over by the opposite side of the roof. One of the Dauntless figures stepped forward and introduced himself as Max.

"Several stories below us is the members' entrance to our compound. If you can't muster the will to jump off, you don't below here. Our initiates have the privilege of going first," he announced as he pointed over the edge.

"Is there water at the bottom or something?" someone asked.

Max shrugged. "Who knows?"

Everyone froze and began muttering amongst themselves about not wanting to be first. Then the little Abnegation girl pushed her way to the front and got up on the ledge. She pulled off the loose fitting grey top she wore to reveal a grey t-shirt. She balled up the loose grey top and threw it at Peter who became disgruntled when it hit him. He fiddled with it and eventually got a grip on the edge of it and tossed it on the ground. Meanwhile, the girl had looked down and jumped down below into the hole.

Then a Candor girl with short hair stepped forward and positioned herself to jump next. She cracked her knuckles and breathed deeply before bending her knees a few times and jumping. I heard a high pitched scream travel down the hole and the group snickered a little. One by one, a few Dauntless-born stepped up and jumped with ease. I positioned myself in the middle of the group and decided to go after one girl who bounced over to the ledge and jumped with lots of energy. I swear she was smiling as she jumped – figures since she was a Dauntless-born. I stepped up quickly after she disappeared down the hole and I clenched my fists tightly as I looked down.

A strong gust of wind pushed me forward and I began to fall down the hole. I was tempted to yell like the Candor girl but couldn't open my mouth in time as my back hit a net. I stumbled out of the net's ropes with the help of a Dauntless girl with three piercings in her eyebrow and a Dauntless guy with intense eyes.

"Another Candor – man there's a lot of them this time around," the girl said as she let go of my arm.

"No kidding," the guy replied. "What's your name?"

Albert didn't sound right – too rigid for Dauntless. If I was going to join these guys, I definitely needed a new name. "It's Al," I said.

The girl glanced over at the Dauntless guy and said, "Let them know Four."

The guy named Four glanced over at the Dauntless that had gathered around the platform. "Seventh jumper, Al!"

The Dauntless cheered and nudged each other as I descended the steps and began following the crush of them into the heart of the Dauntless compound. I waited around with the other initiates until Max came down and brushed himself off. He spoke briefly with the girl and Four on the platform and they descended the steps together.

"Welcome to Dauntless," Four said. "Most of the time I work in the control room, but for the next few weeks, I am your instructor. My name is Four."

"The Dauntless-born initiates are with me," the girl said as she waved her hand. "I'm Lauren. I assume you don't need a tour of the place." She beckoned the Dauntless born initiates to follow her and they began moving quickly out of the area.

Four stepped forward and gestured for the transfers to follow him. He led us towards an area called the Pit, which made the Candor girl snicker at the name. He stopped short and turned around to face us.

"What's your name?" he asked the girl.

I looked over at the girl who shrank a little when he focused in her. Then I realized that I knew her – Christina, who was in some of my classes prior to the Choosing Ceremony. She had a younger sister that resembled her and she was quite a talker.

"Christina," she squeaked.

"Well, Christina," Four said, "if I had wanted to put up with Candor smart-mouths, I would have joined their faction. The first lesson you will learn from me is to keep your mouth shut. Got it?" He turned back to the front and continued to show us the compound.

Christina bit her lip and muttered something under her breath to the Abnegation girl clad in grey. I shoved my hands in my pockets and took in the sight of the compound. It was incredible – the Pit itself was sight to behold. Shops and recreation places like tattoo and piercing places were built into the walls with narrow paths leading up to them. Four paused over a bridge where there was rushing water and jagged rocks at the bottom. He yelled over the noise of the water that a careless jump into the chasm would kill you. I forced myself to look straight ahead and we continued on. Yeah, no way would I try jumping off, even if it was for a dare.

The Dauntless had hamburgers for dinner on the tables when we came into the cafeteria. I took a seat at a table with some other transfers and began to prepare my burger the way I liked it. The Abnegation girl pinched one of the patties and frowned in confusion.

"It's beef," Four said. "Put this on it." He slid the bowl of ketchup over to her and she stared baffled at the food.

"Wait, you've never had a hamburger before?" Christina asked.

"Stiffs eat plain food," Four replied.

I looked up from eating mine and my eyes widened. Guess it was good that I hadn't chosen Abnegation. Slowly, the Abnegation girl began preparing her burger the same way as Christina and she took a bite. Soon we were joined by another Dauntless member who had multiple piercings in his face who introduced himself as a Dauntless leader named Eric. He shot a glance at the Abnegation girl and smirked, which made color rush to her face.

"We'll see how long you last," Eric said before turning to Four.

My ears burned as I continued to chew on my burger. It wasn't fair that the Abnegation girl was getting picked on right off the bat. There had to be a good reason for why she left her old faction in the first place.

* * *

After dinner, Eric took the transfers to the dormitory. He mentioned that we were expected to get up at eight AM and train until six. The rest of the day was open for us to do whatever we wanted. As he started explaining how initiation was going to work, Molly spoke up when he announced that half way through initiation, some of the initiates would be cut.

"That's not fair!" Molly protested. "If we had known-"

"Are you saying that if you had known this before the Choosing Ceremony, you wouldn't have chosen Dauntless?" Eric snapped. "Because if that's the case, you should get out now. If you are really one of us, it won't matter to you that you might fail. And if it does, you are a coward." He shoved the door to the dormitory open and crossed his arms. "You chose us. Now we have to choose you."

It was silent after Eric left. Everyone got ready for bed and grumbled about the revelation of possibly being cut halfway through. I clambered into my bunk and looked up at the ceiling. A pang of guilt and nerves hit me. Eric's response lingered in my mind – maybe I would have stayed in Candor if I had known that there was chance I could get cut. Yet I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay tethered to the same place where my parents were – it was clear that they had regrets about their choices.

I felt a lump form in my throat and I tried to hold back the tears that were pooling at the bottom of my eyes. Home. I wondered what Mom and Dad had done after I left in hurry with the Dauntless. I wished that I could have seen their faces after I chose – why had I chosen to avoid them?! Were they proud that I had left? Angry? Disappointed? I would never know.

I took the pillow out from under my head and used it to muffle the choked sounds coming out of my mouth as tears ran down my face. I only hoped that I could acclimate quickly before too long.


End file.
